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I'm wondering if anyone here has had experience with Dr. Turvey or Dr. Blakey at UNC Dentistry. I am looking into having jaw surgery to move my lower jaw forward. After getting two orthodontist consults, one of the orthos works with Turvey and the other works with Blakey.
Just wondering if anyone has any personal experience with either for jaw surgery or experience with UNC's oral surgery practice in general.
I'm really not sure how to go about researching doctors in general for this, so if anyone has any tips I'd appreciate it!
I've been trying to get my son an appointment set up with Dr. Blakey for wisdom tooth extraction surgery. My experience has been that the wheels turn very slowly for making appointments at UNC unless you have an oral cancer related issue which is given priority, which I completely understand. However, it may take several weeks just waiting to schedule an appointment for a later date and they're already booking well into 2014.
Someone else posted about having a similar surgery to yours done at UNC with good results, so I guess it depends on how soon you want the surgery done and if you are willing to wait for Blakey or Turvey to get to you in several months unless your ortho can get you an appointment sooner with his/her connections there. UNC does require a referral which should not be a problem in your case...but just FYI.
When I was in High School I had something similar done as part of the course of treatment for braces. It was done by Raleigh Oral and Maxilliofacial associates. Oral Surgery Raleigh NC, Dental Implants, Wisdom Teeth Extractions Of course, this was 25 years ago, so no much in the way of staff carryover probably. (although one of the Dr's names is still the same.)
Not sure exactly how the surgery is done now, but having 6 screws in your jaw show up on x-rays is a good conversation started with your dentist years later!
After reading Starglow's post about the time it takes to get appointments at UNC, I am curious why you aren't considering Duke?
I would absolutely consider Duke. Both of the orthodontists I visited (based on recommendations on here & in "real life") are in the Cary/Raleigh area and happen to work with UNC. I've never coordinated a multi-doctor treatment before... would it be unusual to request a surgeon that's not the one the orthodontist normally refers to? Is there a specific Duke oral/maxillofacial surgeon you'd recommend? I hope to schedule at least one consult with a different/non-UNC surgeon just as a second opinion before going ahead with anything.
All that being said, time till appointment isn't a huge issue for me. I'm not able to get braces for a couple months anyways, and at this point I'm almost 20 yrs past when I SHOULD have gotten my face fixed so a little extra time isn't a deal breaker.
I have a jaw issue (recurrent aggressive mandibular cyst) and have had 4 jaw surgeries, all back in RI. Unfortunately, my cyst has recurred and I need another surgery. Since I work at Duke, I asked a prominent surgeon who he would recommend and he told me to see David Powers who is both a dentist and a medical doctor (MD, DMD).
Duke has a lot of things but a dental school is not among them.
I had Tim Turvey do my BSSO (moving the lower jaw forward) in 1990. He did a great job and I have had no problems. I worked at the hospital as an RN and saw lots of oral surgery patients so knew the procedures and the doctors. If I needed more work and was local, I would go back to UNC. It is a teaching institution so you will have more of a wait than with a private practice.
ooooooo! I love these Dr. Turvey stories. Dr. Turvey supervised my jaw surgery in 1983 and again in 1988. My jaw was reduced, then after they did it I had a growth spurt and so did a different procedure.
Can't say enough good things about Dr. T. The entire program was FANTASTIC. The care we received in the hospital and at the dental school was great. I was just a scared kid and they treated me like a princess. They were so kind to my mom the entire time as well.
To be clear, it is a Dental School, so I actually had a student do my surgery under Dr. Turvey's supervision. It is likely that is the way it is still done. Dr. T himself did remove my upper wisdom teeth at a later date.
Chapel Hill is still one of the top 5 dental schools in the country. Dr.T has trained countless oral/maxillo surgeons and is considered an expert in the field. The student, Dr. Ochs, is now also considered quite the expert himself. You can't go wrong.
AND, the insurance company balked at paying for the second surgery so the hospital just forgave us the unreimbursed part. That isn't going to happen anywhere but a dental school.
The other Dr. is likely to be top notch also. Maybe younger that Dr. T? who is surely nearing retirement now. I'm not surprised that a wisdom tooth extraction doesn't interest them much. Those are a dime a dozen and any oral surgeon can do that. Resetting someone's jaw...that is some sexy dentistry!
I haven't had any surgery or work done at UNC, but I used to take my mom to the Dental Faculty there and found them to be kind and caring and excellent dentists.
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